Helping YOU preserve your precious family stories on video.
Preserving memories in
Paradise Valley, AZ.
Welcome
to the April issue!
Spring has certainly sprung in the U.S.A. - and all over the
country, from the cherry blossoms in Washington, D.C. to the orange-tipped
ocotillo cacti in Tucson, AZ, nature is showing evidence of rebirth and renewal.
We're all part of this marvelous cycle of life. And there's no better time than
the present to preserve the memories of seasons and years past so they may be
celebrated in the future. So take a cue this spring from Mother Nature and renew
your efforts to capture your family stories and history on video!
This month we'll take a look at how you can use maps to help
chart a course through your next video biography, and I'll make a recommendation
on video editing software.
I hope you enjoy this issue of the Family Legacy Video™
Producer's e-Newsletter. Please e-mail me at
steve@familylegacyvideo.com or phone toll-free (1.888.662.1294) with any
questions or comments you have. Visit Family Legacy Video on the Web at:
www.familylegacyvideo.com.
PS - Family Legacy Video's Web site and e-mail were both
inaccessible from March 24-26. The problems have been corrected and I apologize
for the inconvenience.
I recently spent three mornings interviewing a fascinating
gentleman. The focus of his story was his business career, which began when he
set out to make his fortune in the country of Peru just prior to World War II.
As his video biography session came to a close, he stated how grateful he was
for the chance to tell his story on camera. "I look forward to giving my
children my background," he said. "I have always told them a little bit here and
a little bit there, but never the complete story of just what I did and when I
did it and how I did it. I look forward to the final result and wish to thank
you for your help."
What a great endorsement for video biographies! They do indeed
give you the chance to record your story, your complete story, in your own
words, and pass it along to family and friends. A video biography truly is a
keepsake that will be treasured by generations of your family to come.
Maps can help you
navigate through your next video biography.
Whether you're setting out on a cross country driving tour or
wondering how to visually "navigate" through your next video biography, a good
map can be a real asset. You can use maps to establish the locations important
to your subject's story and also use them to impart a sense of movement to
illustrate someone's travels.
For example, I recently used maps to help tell the story of a
married couple. The wife was born in the Philippines prior to World War II. I
used a map of the Philippines to establish the length and breadth of the island
chain and also to show the location of her home island and the areas on that
island that figured prominently in her story.
Her husband, a bomber pilot during WWII, hitched rides from Texas
to Canada in order to volunteer for the Canadian Royal Air Force. I combined two
moving maps, one of Texas and one showing the border of the U.S. and Canada, to
help visualize his journey.
Where can you get good maps? I recently found a great resource, a
company called
Maps.com, which offers a variety of
digital maps available for download. They're already digital, which offers
convenience (no scanning) and great image quality.
I recommend downloading the PDF versions. First, they're the least
expensive (many starting around $6.95). Second, if you have Adobe Photoshop, you
can open the maps there and scale and crop them to whatever size you need. You
can also add effects to give the maps an aged or period look, add locations,
etc.
Then, import the map into your editing software, give it some
motion, and you've got a great-looking, low cost visual.
The Family
Legacy Video Theatre is the online theatre where you can view all
the video clips streaming from the Family Legacy Video Web site. The clips you
see there will surely inspire you with ideas for your family video, plus you'll
get to see Steve Pender talk about his passion for family history video in two
television appearances.
You'll see a window containing a video screen with controls and a list of clips.
Decide which clip you'd like to view and click on the correct speed (High, Low)
to match your Internet connection. In the bottom right of the theatre window is
a list showing the appropriate speed for your kind of connection. NOTE:
Please be patient - you may need to wait a few seconds before a clip plays.
Enjoy the clip!
Select another clip or close the theatre window.
The Family Legacy Video
Theatre is always open, and YOU decide when the show begins.
Ask Steve - This month:
A recommendation on video editing software.
Q: Dear Steve,
What a wonderful Web site you have! Can you tell me what video creating software
I would need to buy? Thanks.
- - Jay H.
A: Hi, Jay.
Thanks for the compliment. I’m glad you enjoyed the Family Legacy Video Web
site. If you have a Windows PC running XP, I’d recommend Adobe Premiere
Elements. You should be able to find it for $100 or less. It's the streamlined
version of Adobe's Premiere Pro, which is professional level video editing
software. Elements, however, is very full-featured, especially at the under $100
price point. You can also buy it packaged with Adobe Photoshop Elements, which
allows you to touchup photos and create graphics for your videos.
Cheers, Steve
Got a question about any aspect of family history
video production?
Send it to Steve at
steve@familylegacyvideo.com.
